Dry Fire
by Cassandra's Dream
Summary: Series of individual Daryl/OC one-shots. Some fluff, some smut, some humor; lots of Daryl love. - Latest: Hey, Jealousy. '"I ain't jealous... because I don't need to be." I grinned. Yeah... I definitely liked this side of Daryl. "Oh yeah? Why not?" His smirk was impossibly smug as his hands slid into my back pockets. "No other man can handle you like I can. And you know it."'
1. Yes, Sir

The first time I kissed Daryl Dixon was... well, it wasn't pretty, now that I think about it. It was rough, and a little desperate, and it was beginning to look like more pain than pleasure before he pulled away, the shock on his face tinged with- well, more shock.

* * *

_We were both breathing heavily, having just run the length of the town to lose the Walkers chasing us. After taking a few sharp turns and avoiding a couple more stragglers, we found our way into an old motel, forcing our way into one of the rooms. It was empty, save for overturned furniture and a heap of dust bunnies; but Daryl still did a quick sweep before settling by the window, eyes set on the street beyond._

_I was crouched by the door we had just come through, two chakra held at the ready, the steel rings warming in my hands. I didn't have the vantage point my companion did, but I liked to think we'd been on enough runs by now that I could read his body language pretty well. Right now he didn't look _too_ worried, which- considering it was Daryl, who could probably fight Chuck Norris and win- wasn't entirely reassuring. _

_"How many?" _

_"Too many. 'Reckon I could get a few from here, easy. But I don't have enough bolts left to get 'em all. We'll try to wait 'em out."_

_"And if that doesn't work?"_

_He gave a cursory glance around the room. "Bathroom window. We'll run again. Ain't got no choice."_

_"That's a double negative."_

_He rolled his eyes, just barely. "Don't get smart." _

_"Want me to get fresh instead?"_

_He ignored me. I knew he would. He always did when I tried to tease him. Of course, everyone else and their mother could riff with Dixon; he laughed and joked with the others, talked to them. But when I tried? Nothing. Nada. Just a fly on the wall. Or just a walker on the street, which there seemed to be more of than flies these days._

_As I was thinking these (admittedly somewhat bitter) thoughts, Daryl was busy being the macho man he was, keeping vigil by the window. I could hear them all outside, groaning and shuffling along like extras in a Michael Jackson video. My companion remained tense, his body never moving. I wish I could have said the same for myself. I tried so heard to stay still; and when I began to feel the tickle in my sinuses, I moved the bare minimum in trying to stop the inevitable. It was useless._

_"Achoo!"_

_I had this horrible habit of squeaking out my sneezes. It sounded like someone was goosing a kitten. My family use to make fun of me for it. But what was once an odd quirk was now potentially deadly. _

_"Damnit," Daryl cursed, somehow right next to me. "Couple are turnin' this way. Come on. Gotta move." _

_We passed into the bathroom, checking through the window to make sure no stragglers were waiting for us before Daryl gave me a boost, practically throwing me out of the small window. I still had to squeeze through, my breasts compressed almost painfully as I pulled through the frame. I got through, though, and dropped to the ground, weapons at the ready._

_I expected Daryl to follow, and when his wildcat grace didn't bring him immediately down from the window, landing on his feet beside me, I feared the worst. I wasn't ready for what I saw when I looked back._

_Daryl was stuck. _

_His arms- those beautiful, muscular testaments to brute strength- had finally worked against him. He couldn't fit through the window frame, grunting as he pulled back into the bathroom. I almost laughed out loud, right then. Which would have attracted even more Walkers than the one now making its way toward us. _

_"Walker..." Daryl growled, his face in the frame above me. _

_"I see him."_

_Quickly, the steel ring flew from my fingers, finding a new home in the now-dead-(again) undead. I retrieved it, wiping the gore on my pants, before turning back to Daryl. _

_"Problem, Dixon?"_

_"No," he spit out. I took his crossbow when he handed it to me, and he went back to struggling once more to squeeze his way out, arms stretched awkwardly before him. I watched, waited. _

_"What are ya waitin' for? Help me out."_

_I rolled my eyes. Again. "Yes, sir."_

_It was only after my hands were basically all over his torso, leveraging his body weight so that he could slip out of the room, that I realized how potentially awkward this could be. Of course, realizing the potential is what actualized the awkward. As more and more of his weight fell into my arms, now just his feet left to hook through the frame, I had to basically wrap my arms around him like he was a giant teddy bear. _

_That wasn't a good comparison, though. Nothing about Daryl was soft. Or squishy. He was kind of the opposite, actually. _

_With one final grunt, he was on the ground and away from me. Grabbing his bow, he went right back to business, checking the area, looking for Walkers. I took one personal moment to mourn the loss of how good he had felt under my hands before I, too, turned my mind back to work._

_"We gotta circle 'round. Long way. Get back to the bike so we can get the hell outta here."_

_This time my muttered "Yes, sir," was somewhat sincere. I doubted he could tell. _

_I followed him as he lead me through more alleys and past small groups of the dead. We eventually made it back in view of his beloved motorcycle. After making a quick double-check of our surroundings, we got on, prepping to leave. _

_The run had been a total failure. The pharmacy was already empty. The emergency clinic was wrecked. The whole town was looted long ago. At least we could cross it off the map now, though. One less question mark in the new world._

_We rode for a few miles before we came to bridge, and Daryl pulled the bike to the side and turning it off. Dismounting, he made his way down to the water. _

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Thirsty. You comin'?"_

_He strolled casually enough; but I knew he was alert to everything around him. I dismounted, keeping a few paces behind. I watched as he crouched down by the gently running water, scooping some into his hands. Seeing his arms come out in front of him like that of course reminded me of what had transpired not an hour before, and this time I didn't try to hide my laugh (though I did keep it quiet, which was habit by now). _

_When he turned to look at me, he looked thoroughly confused. "What're ya laughin' at?"_

_The grin on my face was broad. "I still can't get over seeing you stuck in that window."_

_He scowled and turned back to the water, drinking again. "Ain't my fault the things are so damn small."_

_"It is your fault your arms are so damn big, though."_

_He huffed, not knowing how to respond. A new glint was in his eye, though, as he stood and turned to me. "Never woulda had to go through there anyways if ya hadn't sneezed. What the hell was that? '_Achoo!'_" he mimicked. "Ya sounded like a baby goat."_

_I flushed a little, though I knew it was something I couldn't really help. "Spend a lot of time around goats, do you?" was all I could think of to respond._

_"Well you've been bleatin' at me all day."_

_"Jerk."_

_"Brat."_

_I was still smiling. Hadn't stopped, actually. Daryl and I were actually bantering. If I was twelve and had a diary, this would definitely be exciting enough to take up at least three pages. Probably with a scented pen._

_We locked eyes for a moment before both chuckling, the tension and stress of the day slowly dissipating. The way was almost over and we still had an hour before we'd be back at home base. _

_"Alright. We should head out. Got a ways to go."_

_He moved to walk past me, and suddenly all I could think about was helping him out of the window: his _chest_, and his _arms_, and how absolutely _good_ it felt. And then, just now, when he was laughing- actually laughing, and smiling. With ME. I legitimately thought, until this afternoon, that I annoyed him by my mere existence. Considering that, it was kind of a big jump to my next action. But hey- if you're gonna stop giving a shit and grow some balls, might as well be during the apocalypse, right?_

_So when Daryl was right next to me, I turned and grabbed the collar of his (of course) sleeveless shirt in my fists and pulled his face down to mine. Turns out I pulled a little too hard as his mouth literally slammed onto mine. It hurt more than they said it would in all those romance stories I used to read, but I kept at it, pressing my lips insistently against his. That was, until he came to his senses._

_His own hands came up to my face (first thought: YES YES YES), which he quickly pushed away from his own (second thought: shit). My eyes, which had opened after that first full-contact tackle, saw the total surprise on his face. His eyes were wider than I had ever seen them, the metallic cerulean gleaming. A light breeze ruffled his dark locks. His mouth hung open, just a little, giving me a small glimpse of the pink tongue within. _

_I decided to cut him some slack. "So that just happened..."_

_His eyes immediately narrowed again, mouth closed. Even the breeze stopped. "What the hell was that?" His voice sounded deceptively normal for Daryl (aka, kind of angry)._

_"A kiss. Almost. It's been awhile. I'm a little rusty."_

_"Why?"_

_"I wanted to...?"_

_He huffed, then seemed to realize his hands were still on my face. He quickly dropped them and stepped away from me. _

_"Want me to apologize?"_

_The look he gave me was accompanied by a grimace._

_"Well, I won't. I regret nothing."_

_It was true. No regrets. Actually, yes, one regret. I wish I had gripped his arms instead of his collar. Who knew when I would get THAT opportunity again? Probably never..._

_Daryl turned away from me, looking out at the water. I continued to ramble._

_"I know, I know. I probably sound like a brazen hussy. I mean, it's the apocalypse or whatever this is- who has time for kissing, right? But hey! It's the apocalypse. Carpe diem and all that. If it's not getting done now, it's just not gonna get done. So I... got it done... or something. Actually, I really didn't, now that I think about it. But hey, we can try again if you want," I tried to tease._

_His only response was that he shifted his weight. _

_"Fuck it. Let's just go, okay? No need to rub it in. I get it."_

_This finally seemed to stir him to action as he brushed by me and moved toward the bike, getting on silently and waiting for me to sit behind him. Being so close was kind of awkward now, but I forced myself to not care. _

_I kissed him. I kissed Daryl Dixon. And, I mean, it wasn't the best kiss ever. It was actually pretty crap. But come on! We just ran for our lives, he finally talked to me like a peer, I was pretty desperate to touch him in at least SOME way. It was a big rush of emotion and very spur of the moment. Still, though. I did it. And I'd do it again._

_He kick started the engine and I muttered one last thing before the sound drowned out our communication._

_"Still don't regret it."_

* * *

So that was the first time I kissed Daryl Dixon. It was memorable. Definitely not in the way first kisses usually are... but still. Memorable. Still don't regret it. Never will.

It's hard to think of that kiss, though, without thinking of the first time Daryl Dixon kissed me. I mean. THAT... That was what a first kiss should be like. At least, what one with Daryl Dixon should be like. I didn't even have to wait for it very long, not after my failure of an attempt.

* * *

_We had finally made it back to the old apartment complex the group was currently hiding out in. Daryl took the bike to the back of the building, where the other cars were, before turning off the engine and dismounting. I followed, not really expecting him to say anything about the kiss. If I was being honest, I didn't know what he could say. Maybe silence was best..._

_I was distracted, checking my pockets to make sure I hadn't dropped anything during the ride. I didn't see Daryl cast his gaze around, making sure we were alone. I didn't see him smirk and turn to me. But I did feel him grab my elbow. I did feel the brick building through the back of my shirt. I did feel his lips against mine. _

_And oh... it was... were there words for this? _

_One of his hands was cradling the back of my head, his pinky tickling the hairs at the nape of my neck, careful to not let my head hit the wall. The other was resting on my hip, pulling me against him even as he pushed me against the brick. His tongue was tracing my lips, slipping in between them, seeking my own tongue to play with._

_My body was getting hot. I didn't know what to focus on. Daryl was everywhere, taking up all my senses. He leaned into me and my hands went to his torso, nails gently scraping down the fabric of his shirt until they settling at his hips. My fingers quickly found the skin right above the waistband of his jeans, resting there, just under the hem of his shirt, as I pulled him closer. _

_Judging by how warm his skin felt, my fingers must have been cold. As soon as I touched him there, he let out a little hiss. The hand that had been at my hip slid down... down... He bent, just a little, taking my head with him, so he could hook his hand under my knee, bringing it around his waist and pushing into me even more as he held it there. _

_This... this was by far the best kiss I'd ever had. It was so... _thorough_. Daryl left nothing unaccounted for: hands, everywhere; lips, demanding; tongue, seductive; hips, grinding. _

_My hands slid up from his waist slowly, up around his throat, gently brushing the stubble along his jaw as I moved them behind his shoulders to curl my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. I gently massaged his scalp, fingers kneading around the fine, dark hair. He sighed when I did, sounding oddly content, a satisfied, half-groan-half-hum tickling me through our still-joined lips. _

_His movements, at first so demanding and strong, had slowed considerably. His tongue, giving one last flick to my own, gently withdrew. The hand at my neck moved to my hip. The other still held my knee. _

_My breathing was somehow shallow and heavy at the same time. My fingers were still playing with his hair. Slowly, I opened my eyes, taking him in. _

_His lips were pink. I'd never seen his eyes look so bright as they danced around my face, a small smile taking over those pink lips. Slowly, eyes still open, he dipped his head and kissed me one, twice more, lingering as he pulled away. _

_I wanted to say something profound of romantic or at least complimentary (perhaps suggesting he start going by Daryl "Damn Fine Kisser" Dixon, because hey. It was true.), but all that came out was a pathetic, breathy, "what?"_

_He chuckled and pecked me once more on the lips, slowly releasing my knee. I'm sure he thought it would help me stand or something practical like that. But I'm pretty sure I would need that wall behind me for at least another three minutes. _

_"Carpe diem, right?" he said around a smirk, pulling away even more. _

_I resisted whimpering, feeling suddenly cold without him pushed against me. _

_"Right. Carpe diem."_

_Well, hell. I knew what I meant when I had said it earlier; but how does he mean it now?_

_He glanced around, making sure we were still alone. His smirk grew more proud, probably from seeing how dazed I still was. As he turned to go inside, I stopped him. _

_"Where are you going?"_

_He quirked a brow, halfway through the door already. "Inside?"_

_"It's still Diem, mister. Let's get with the Carpe."_

_He laughed outright at that. I was being serious, though. "Easy there, Tiger. Can't have ya gettin' used to it." I narrowed my eyes. If I hadn't been looking right at him, I would have missed the wink. "Ya might start gettin' spoiled."_

_I huffed. "Jerk."_

_"Brat," was his immediate response. "Try not to miss me too much, huh?" _

_"Yes, sir," was my insincere response. He mimed kissing the air, smirk firmly in place as he turned to shut the door behind him. I could still hear him chuckling to himself. _

_I was still leaning against the wall. I judged that I had another minute before I'd safely be able to walk on my own. _

_Stupid Dixon. Stupid great kisser. Stupid leaving after kissing me like that. Don't get used to it? Spoiled? What? What does that man want? This morning I thought I annoyed him. This afternoon we... I dunno. "Bonded." Just now, he totally ravished me and yep- I welcomed it. _

_It definitely escalated quickly._

_Spoiled, my ass. If he wasn't planning on kissing me like that basically all the time, I guess I would just have to fine ways to make him. I won't try to hide it: I'm already spoiled. _

_I sighed to myself, gently stepping away from the brick. Getting my way (aka, having my way) with Daryl would be a challenge, definitely. But if that kiss was any indication, he was definitely up for that challenge. _

_And hell if I wasn't planning more opportunities to make up for the two I had already missed. I WOULD one day grip those biceps. I could feel it in my heart, and one day... I'd feel them in my hands. _

**A/N Haha... so yeah. Felt a little inspired. Just started watching the show maybe four days ago? And I'm all caught up. Saw the new episode and everything. Don't know what to do with myself for now. So this is just a one shot to release some of my Daryl-love tension. I've written FF before, but it's been a loooong time. **

**I might add more to it if I can think of anything, maybe more one shots with the same character (she doesn't really have a name yet), maybe add her to some scenes from the show. We'll see. If you want more, ask for it, and I'll see what I can do.**


	2. Body heat

**A/N: I couldn't resist writing another one. So here it is. Same format as the last one, basically. OC + Daryl + sexual tension. These aren't really supposed to be chronological... or sensical... And I'm sure the way I write Daryl sometimes (more than sometimes, especially here...) has him slipping OOC... But I just have the idea and have to write it down. Yeah, I'll shut up now. Here's Daryl. **

**WARNING: pure fluff. try not to expect too much haha. **

* * *

The first time I woke up to Daryl Dixon sleeping next to me was... well it was like the first time we kissed. It was a surprise. To say the least. It seems a lot of our first are surprising... Huh. Weird trend. I kinda like it, though. Keeps things interesting, ya know? Definitely keeps me on my toes... and in beds... and on counters... and sometimes on motorcycles...

... But hey... I digress.

We're just talking about sleeping now. At least, I was talking about that...

Damn you and your sexually-frustrating self, Daryl Dixon.

* * *

_I was in that stupendous state of being half awake, but still, somehow, mostly asleep. Every part of my body was kinda tingly and soft and I wanted to stretch, but I also didn't want to move. And it was soooo warmmmm... Wasn't it supposed to be winter? Whatever. This was awesome. _

_I snuggled a little further into my pillow, almost regretting it when I felt air blowing against my shoulder. If I exposed myself to the cold air now, it would all be ruined. I went back to not moving, just relishing in how comfortable I was._

_But then... something else moved. It felt like something was between my hip and the bed. Was that my arm? Had it fallen asleep? That was the worst- it was probably gonna be all tingly when I moved it. That stuff hurts like a bitch. Moving just a little so I could adjust my hand, I realized it wasn't my hand at all. At that same moment, something rough began to scratch at my exposed shoulder. With that, and the hand- which I saw was attached to an arm that was solidly wrapped around my waist- I, of course, thought the worst: that a Walker had me, and the scratchy stuff was actually his teeth and I was pretty much about to die._

_So I screamed. _

_While screaming, I kinda thrashed around, trying to get away from the teeth and the hand, which only seemed to get closer the more I moved. I was too loud to hear the grunt and curse that responded, but no amount of loudness could have prevented me from going over the edge of the bed along with the arm that was gripping me. _

_The fall silenced me, as I landed with a soft 'oof' on something strong and warm and... not cold... or bony... or gross-smelling... and... wait, what?_

_I brushed my hair out of my face and moved the blanket to look down into the pained face of Daryl Dixon._

_"_Daryl?!"

_"Christ, woman. What is yer problem?" he growled. _

_I continued to look down at him. He looked pissed, even if his eyes were still closed, his fingers gently rubbing over them. A scowl was quickly taking over his lips, and he sighed. When he finally looked back at me, his eyes still looked a little glazed from being woken up so suddenly. Still, the cobalt irises were familiar and helped to calm my still-frantic heart. In the back of my mind, I acknowledged that he looked a little adorable, all sleepy-eyed like that, with his hair all over the place, his voice raspy and low... But the more prominent thought was: What the hell was he doing there? _

_So that's exactly what I asked him._

_"Daryl, what are you doing here?"_

_"Well, I was tryin' t'sleep, no thanks t'you," he huffed._

_"But... here?"_

_He started to squirm underneath me, his scowl lessening to a pout. Even more adorable. "Whadya mean 'here'? Didn't mean t'be on the floor."_

_"No, I mean... we've never... ya know."_

_"Ya, I know." He wouldn't look me in the eye. Was he blushing? _Adorable_. _

_"Well I just thought... sleeping together would be after... uh... _sleeping together_." He was silent. Shit. I hope he wasn't thinking I wasn't happy to see him or something. That's never been the case. Probably never will be. I tried to explain. "Not that it's bad! I was just... surprised. Really surprised. You weren't there when I went to sleep, so..."_

_He shrugged. Which was actually kind of impressive, since he was still on his back on the floor, and I was still on top of him. Shrugging must not have been very comfortable. "Yeah, well... Got cold," he eventually mumbled._

_I laughed. "Oh. I see how it is. You just want me for my body heat."_

_"Yep. That's it. Hope yer not too disappointed."_

_"Me? Never. It' s mutual, actually. Before my little freak out, that was pretty freakin' comfortable."_

_He reached a hand up to move some of my hair our of his face. A smirk formed on his face as his fingers began to play with it absentmindedly. "Ya mean when you were usin' me as yer pillow?"_

_"Oh, please. If anyone was the pillow, it was me. You're not soft enough to be a pillow."_

_He snorted. "With the way ya were snugglin' up to me? Nuh uh. I could barely move ya were so close."_

_"I beg to differ. And to get off the floor. It's cold down here." It really was, and I was in sweats with a blanket. _

_"Well, if ya'd get offa me, maybe we could."_

_"Oh... right..."_

_I tried to stand up as gracefully as possible, while avoiding stepping on Daryl, as well as tripping on my blanket or too big pants. I only stumbled twice. Of course, Daryl didn't stumble at all. He hopped to his feet like the stupid jungle cat that he was, stretching his non-pillowy muscles and popping loose joints. I didn't hide the fact that I was watching him. He had changed into sweats before sleeping, but damn. That man even slept in sleeveless shirts. Even in winter. When it was cold. He just had to wear that wifebeater... with those arms... and those muscles..._

_"See somethin' ya like?" he teased, stalking toward me where I was leaning against the wall. I nodded. Once he got close enough, I threw the blanket so that it was wrapped around both of us. _

_"Body heat," I said, smiling up at him. He scoffed, but still pulled me over to the bed with him._

_We quickly adjusted ourselves back on the mattress, wrapped in sheets and blankets and each other. I liked this side of Daryl, the one that could still relax sometimes. It was nice. This, especially, right now, was really nice. Even if it was just because he was cold (which I doubted was the whole reason anyways). I never thought Daryl was one to actually sleep with someone. It seemed too... I dunno. Intimate? Maybe that wasn't the right word. He just seemed like he wouldn't be able to relax that much. Like, as soon as dawn struck, he'd be up, back to work, protecting, defending, etc. _

_But he seemed pretty relaxed, here with me. Which made me smile. Like, a lot. He must have noticed._

_"Stop," he rasped out, already falling back asleep, eyes slipping closed. _

_"Stop what?"_

_"Over-thinkin' this."_

_"I'm not-"_

_"Ya are. I know." He cracked an eye open and looked down at me. "Look, I... it's not a big deal, a'right? I switched watch with Glenn. It was cold as fuck when I got off. And... and I wanted to. Nothin' more."_

_Yeah. Nothing more. Like him wanting to wasn't like, a big deal or anything. But I'd try to stop over-thinking it. For him. Me being all girly about this wasn't making him any more comfortable. I could be a big girl and contain myself._

_"Right. Zen. I know. I just... Well, it's nice," were my final words._

_He nodded and tightened his arms. "S'warm, too."_

_Too? Yeah. That meant he agreed with me. Shit, why did I agree to try to contain myself? It was hard. He thought sleeping together was nice. Damn straight, he did. This _is_ nice. Not being able to keep the grin off my face, I let myself cheat on the containment thing. I kissed the part of him that was closest to me, which happened to be the hollow at the base of his throat. He hissed in a breath and pulled away a little._

_"Yer nose is cold," he complained. _

_"Oh, is it?" I kissed him again._

_"Yes. Stop."_

_"What's that? Yes? Okay." Another kiss._

_"Woman..." he growled, the sound rumbling through the very muscles my lips were ghosting over. I moved so I could kiss closer to the side of his neck and he sighed again, letting me. _

_"You said you switched watch?"_

_"Mhm..."_

_"So you're done? No more watch until late tomorrow?"_

_"Mhm..." By now he had cracked an eye open to watch me, his arms loosening so I could adjust myself to get to more and more of his skin. "Why?"_

_"Well, I was thinking... Sleep is great. Of course. And I mean, I'm really comfortable... But if we've got a little time..."_

_He stilled beneath me, suddenly tense. "Hey-"_

_Pretty certain I knew where he was going, I cut him off, leaning up to look him in the eye. "Daryl, I'm not saying we should have sex." I knew he wanted to take things slow, even if we did pretty much constantly make out. I think, for him- and for me, as well- that sex would be like... _the thing._ There wasn't really marriage in this new world, but sex, especially in the small group we were in... well, it was a huge deal. Commitment. Neither of us was really ready. _

_But that was okay. I was good with making out. He was freakishly good at it, anyways. _

_His whole body relaxed, rolling onto his back as I continued to kiss along his neck and jaw. "Okay," he said around a sigh, one arm coming up to stroke along my back as I basically moved to lay over him. _

_"But, uh... I am saying you might have some hickeys after this."_

_His other arm went up to rub his face as he groaned. "Good Lord. What is this, junior high?"_

_My kisses moved down to the top of his chest, above the fabric of his top. "Could be. Wanna pretend we're under the bleachers?" _

_"I was more of a neckin' in the woods kinda guy."_

_I laughed against his skin, going further down, over the cotton. "Ugh, you would be. Dirty skank."_

_"Says the bleachers girl."_

_"True enough." _

_My lips brushed over the spot where his ribs ended, and I felt his muscles twitch beneath my ministrations. I kissed again, and the same thing happened. No way... _

_"Daryl...?"_

_"Mm?"_

_His eyes were closed. He hadn't moved. One arm was beneath his head, the other kepy gently stroking my upper back. He looked peaceful... almost too peaceful..._

_"Are you ticklish?"_

_His answer was immediate. "No."_

_"Liar."_

_He glanced down at me, pouting. "Am not. Men aren't ticklish."_

_"Except for you, apparently."_

_I couldn't help the smile growing on my face. I reached my hand up to the bottom of his shirt, slowly inching it up over his stomach. _

_He groaned again. "Yer killin' me here, woman. What're ya doin'?"_

_"Exploring."_

_My lips chased after the cotton, kissing up from his waistband, over the smooth skin of his stomach. The short, dark hairs that faded down past his navel tickled against my lips, and I definitely wanted to explore that area some more... But I had a mission. _

_Moving the shirt up far enough so that his ribs were exposed, I moved my lips back to the same place as before. _

_"Sure you're not ticklish?" I asked, brushing my mouth over the spot and getting the same reaction. The muscles clenched and released, and this time I saw the grin he was trying to hide. _

_"Sure."_

_"Uh huh..." I kissed it again. And again. And then I stopped feathering kisses against his skin in favor of licking it, my mouth moving to conform to the spot. I had been joking about the hickeys thing, but right now it really didn't seem like such a bad idea... _

_The hand that had been stroking my shoulder stilled. He took a deep breath. _

_"If you admit you're ticklish, I'll stop." That was probably a lie. I didn't want to stop. No way was I not giving him a hickey now._

_"No..." he said, sounding a little bit out of breath. His hand moved to the back of my head, the fingers finding a place in my hair. "Not ticklish."_

_I smiled against his skin, which, incidentally, tasted a little salty and dirty and somehow so... Daryl._

_"Liar," I breathed against him. I'm pretty sure the hickey was unavoidable by now. But the more I kissed at the sensitive spot, the more I enjoyed his reaction. He definitely liked it, judging by the hand ever so gently keeping me there and the grin he was still trying to hide. But he could no longer deny that he was ticklish. He was practically squirming trying to stay in place._

_I sucked a little harder, using my teeth to nip at the now-enflamed skin, and he failed to stifle a laugh. _

_"Okay, okay! Damn. Fine. I'm ticklish," he admitted. I grinned proudly, and pulled away, pecking the pink skin once more before blowing across it. He laughed again, using his hand to pull me away. "Mercy, woman."_

_I pulled his shirt back down, a little sad that I had to lose sight of the exposed skin. But moving back up to his face and seeing his eyes sparkle up at me- all comfort and care and happiness and other such good things- made me forget about his skin. I leaned down to kiss his lips gently, just once. _

_"Ya proud of yerself?" he asked, the grin he had now a smirk._

_"Yep," I said, smiling at him cheekily. _

_He pulled me back to lay down beside him. "Filthy minx. I'll have t'remember this if I plan on spendin' any more mornin's with ya."_

_"Of, you're planning on it. Don't lie. And remember what? That I have the best way of saying 'good morning'?" I teased._

_"If that's another way of sayin' that yer horny as fuck, than ya. That."_

_I laughed. "Well when I'm waking up to you, how can I resist?"_

_"Like I said: minx."_

_"You love it," I said with a wink. He grunted in response, pulling me closer. "Are we sleeping again now?"_

_" 'Course. Didn't trade watch for nothin'."_

_"Good," I muttered, sinking back into the warmth of his arms. _

_" 'Cept... hold on. There's one thing..." One thing? What?_

_"Hm- oof." He had suddenly moved so that I was rolled onto my back, and he started to scoot down, wrapping his arms around my hips. "Daryl...?"_

_"Yer the pillow, remember?" he said with a smirk, glancing up. I could only laugh as he leaned over me, snuggling his face against my breasts. Reaching my own arms up to wrap around him, I let my fingers brush through the strands of his auburn hair. _

_"Go to sleep."_

_And sleep he did. I felt him relax, slowly, first in his neck and shoulders, where my own hands were stroking against his skin, against the cotton of his shirt and the ridges of his scars. Eventually, his whole body was slack against mine. His breathing slowed down until deep, even exhales were ghosting against my chest. _

_Once he was asleep, I leaned my head forward to kiss the top of his. As I did, I was thinking the words that I wasn't quite brave enough to say out loud. And before long, I, too, was asleep, gently slipping back into warm oblivion._

* * *

**A/N: PURE FLUFF AND I AM NOT ASHAMED. WHO DOESN'T WANT TO WAKE UP TO THAT? Unf.**

**Also, I'm starting a multi-chapter fic about a Daryl/OC, so please check that out. It's slow now, just on chapter one, but it'll get moving. Hopefully it'll have the same banter these do, just with less of the making out... Since it's supposed to be a developing friendship and stuff... Yeah... I'm working on it. **


	3. Out of the closet

**A/N: Wooo! Update. Still not chronological, but the same concept. I'm sure you guys have gathered that by now, haha. I just feel the need to disclaim. So yeah. Let me know what you think. And most importantly... Enjoy ;)**

**Aaaaand, I don't own "The Walking Dead."**

* * *

I remember when the others found out that Daryl and I... that we had a _thing_. Well, actually: I remember when _Glenn_ found out. And it was pretty hilarious. His reaction... oh man. It was like he'd never seen anyone kiss before. Which was ridiculous, because he had Maggie and she was a horndog. Still is. Nasty kids. I guess that's pretty hypocritical of me, though. I've got Daryl, and he's _way_ worse than Maggie. But at least he's more subtle about it. Most of the time. I'm grateful for that.

He definitely wasn't very subtle that morning, though.

* * *

_We were spending the night at some community rest stop on the highway. It was nothing special- lots of bathrooms, which were too gross to go in anyways; trash everywhere; upended park benches. But it had started to rain and this was the first cover we saw. I was especially thankful. I loved Daryl's motorcycle, especially when he was on it... but not when it was raining. That was just uncomfortable. _

_He was probably doubly uncomfortable, too. I hadn't been too nice to him during the ride, constantly fidgeting and such. But spending the night indoors meant that I might be able to make him a little more... comfortable... _

_"Listen up, ya'll," Rick began as we gathered in the main lobby. Pamphlets for local tourist attractions were scattered everywhere. That wasn't depressing at all. I looked up, my eyes trying to find... Daryl. He was still wet from checking the perimeter, raindrops darkening his hair, clinging to his cheekbones. His clothes stuck to his body, making his arms and pecs even more obviously attractive (if that was even freaking possible- I mean, _come on)_. My gaze kept drifting down. His pants were pretty damp, too. The water must have made them heavier- why else would would his waistband be riding so low? I could practically see a sliver of skin there, shadowed by the tails of his shirt. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. _

_He shifted his weight, and, because I was basically drooling over him, I noticed. My eyes flickered back to his face- and he was looking right at me. Oops. He didn't seem to mind my attentions, though. The jerk was smirking at me. One hand was gripping the strap of his crossbow, but the other reached up so that one finger could tap at his temple. I couldn't really tell if he was trying to say "_I know what you're thinking_" or "_My eyes are up here_," but either way, it was audacious. Two could play at that game. _

_Reaching up to the tail of my braid, I brought it over my shoulder and began to squeeze some extra water out, letting it drip onto my collarbone. I could feel the beads of moisture roll down past the neckline of my shirt. His smirk began to fade. _Ha! Take that, Dixon_. And now, for the two of the one-two punch: I brought my hand up to my mouth- the one that was wet from squeezing my hair- and I licked the water off the end of my thumb... slowly... and while maintaining eye contact. It wasn't my finest moment; I was definitely dealing a low blow. But I didn't feel so bad. Especially when I saw his jaw clench and his fingers flex around the strap of his bow. He shifted his weight again, as if he were going to step toward me. But we couldn't very well start going at it in front of everyone, so I quickly- and unwillingly- broke eye contact. _

_Oh, Rick was still talking. Oops... _

_"... just for the night. Daryl and I checked it out- the place is clear. And I know we might be gettin' a little sick of each other"- here there were some scattered chuckles. Rick: the comedian. Who knew? I chanced another look at Daryl. His jaw was still tight, but he, too, was now looking at Rick- "so there are some offices and storage closets around if anyone wants to sleep there. But ya'll know to stay inside, stay close- to your weapons and to each other. Now, that should be it. Daryl, you'll take first watch. Have a good night, everybody."_

_What?! Damnit! No! How was I supposed to have my way with the man if he was on watch? Stupid Rick, ruining all my plans... _

_"Quit poutin'," I suddenly heard. Daryl was standing there, blue eyes looking down at me. Everyone had begun to scatter, going about their own business._

_"No," was my childish reply. He only rolled his eyes and began to walk away. I followed him. Of course I did. We ended our short walk- which I noticed led us _away _from everyone else- at a supply closet. It was pretty empty, just a few empty bottles scattered around. Daryl stepped inside and held the door open for me. "Oh, a janitor's closet, Dar? Kinky," I tried to tease. He wasn't having any of it, though. His crossbow was already on the floor. And as soon as I had stepped inside, he closed the door and pushed me against it. _

_There was no space between our bodies. I could feel the buttons of his shirt through the fabric of my own, his belt pushing against my stomach, one of his legs between mine. His fingers had found their way into my hair, loosening it from the braid it had been in, as our mouths worked steadily against each other. My own hands quickly unbuttoned his shirt, not finding the ribbed tank he normally wore beneath. Skin immediately touched skin. I reached behind him to press my palms against his lower back and hold him even closer. _

_His mouth then diverged from mine. His hands slid down, slipping underneath my top to grasp my hips. My breathing, already getting heavy, became even worse as he dragged his lips first across my cheek... then to my jaw... then down the side of my neck... then my collarbone... when he reached the collar of my shirt, he paused, and then I felt the flat of his tongue as he dragged it all the way back up to my jaw. _

_"That was for earlier. Tease," he mumbled. I felt the words more than heard them because of how close we were. _

_"Oh, please," my voice, embarrassing as it was, sounded breathy and light as he placed light kisses along the side of my face, "like you weren't teasing, too."_

_"I was just standin' there." He was moving back down to my lips now. _

_"Exactly." With a chuckle, he was finally kissing me again. But then a thought occurred to me and I pulled away, just a little. The movement didn't deter him. He just moved again, this time kissing the other side of my face. "Aren't you supposed to be on watch?"_

_He groaned, fingers flexing against my skin. "Five more minutes."_

_It was my turn to chuckle, moving my hands so that my fingernails could scrape against the smooth plane of his stomach. He breathed in sharply and started to move down to my neck. I could feel the short hairs on his jaw as they chafed against my skin. My fingers kept moving up, over his shoulders, eventually reaching to run through his hair- which was still a little damp- and finally settling at the nape of his neck. At one of our several make-out sessions, I had discovered that he liked to have his neck rubbed- just little circles in the skin, slow and steady. He would never admit it. Too girly, or something like that. But he loved it, and now was no exception. _

_He breathed deeply, his mouth moving back up from the base of my throat where it had been, toward the spot just below and behind my ear- the thing _he _had discovered that _I _loved. As he began to attack the spot using lips, tongue, and teeth, I gripped him tighter. How could he expect my knees to function properly when he was doing _that _to me? He seemed to understand, though, shifting so that I could properly lean against the leg he had between mine. _

_I almost couldn't believe the noises that I was making. Was that a mewl? Isn't that what people called it? Isn't that what kittens did? _

_Well. I was mewling. Daryl had turned me into a kitten._

_I couldn't make any noise at all, though, as his hands changed position yet again, sliding past my waistband to settle lower on my skin. He kept them there, palms low on my hips, fingers stretching to reach underneath my underwear, stroking but never getting lower than they already were. I realized then that if he kept this up, there was no way I'd let him go on watch. Almost as soon as I realized it, apparently so did he. _

_His body pulled away from mine- far enough so I could see his face, but not too far that he couldn't still support my weak frame. Even in just the light from under the doorway, I could see that his face was flushed, and I knew mine must have been the same. His pupils were dilated, breathing heavy, and he was... smirking?_

_"_That_," he said, "was for _earlier _earlier."_

_Wait... "What?" _

_"You know where yer hands are s'posed t'go when we're on the bike." His voice was somewhat gruff, like he was reprimanding me._

_I thought back... Oh. _That_. So I may have let my hands sit a little... uh... _low _when we were riding. But no lower than he had just- oh. _

_His smirk got bigger as he saw the realization on my face. He chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "I'll see ya after watch. All yer stuff is already in here. Fancy chakra things are in th'corner." He pulled me away from the door, hands resting on my shoulders. I thought it was just to make sure I had my balance since I was still kinda dizzy from... well, all _that_. But he seemed oddly serious when he looked at me. "Be safe." Kissing me once more, he reached for his crossbow and opened the door._

_"Hey." He turned back, looking confused. Staying silent, I quickly buttoned up his shirt for him. "You, too," I finally said with a smirk of my own. He nodded, just once, and then left. _

* * *

_When I woke up, it was morning already, and Daryl wasn't in sight; but there was an extra blanket on top of the one I already had. He had probably slept for a few hours and then gotten up to take another shift on watch. He'd done it before, so I wasn't entirely surprised. Quickly throwing all my stuff together, I slipped the chakra into my back pocket and made my way out to the cars. _

_It was too early for most of the group to be up, but that didn't mean it was too early for some water and fruit (which we'd snagged from an orchard a few miles back- thank goodness for Georgia). The food was easy to find, and I was cutting up a peach, still facing the trunk, when a pair of hands softly rested on my hips. _

_"Monin'," Daryl said, dropping a quick kiss onto my shoulder. I turned my head to smile at him. _

_"Good morning. Want some fruit?"_

_He nodded. "I'll get us some water."_

_"Thanks."_

_He kissed my shoulder again and moved away to the front seat to grab an empty bottle. I finished cutting and dumped the food into an empty bowl, smiling to myself like an idiot. Moments like this were some of my favorites- just me and Daryl, not sex-crazed (which was a whole _other _kind of enjoyable), but just enjoying each others company. Relaxing. Like normal people. It was just _nice_. _

_Daryl was already leaning against the outside of the vehicle, taking a sip of water, which he promptly spit out when he looked over at me. _

_"Something wrong...?"_

_"You, uh... ya got a little somthin' on your neck," he said around a smile, eyes still intent on me. I reached up first to the right side, feeling nothing, then to the left, where my fingers brushed over enflamed skin._

_A hickey. Daryl had given me a hickey. That was just freakin' great. _

_Groaning, I leaned next to him. Okay, so maybe these moments weren't always normal. "Damnit. Why didn't you say anything earlier?"_

_He leaned over, moving my hair to examine it. "Didn't see it. But in the sunlight? Can't really miss it."_

_"Here, hold this," I said, handing him the fruit. _

_"What're ya doin'?"_

_"I'm gonna braid my hair so that it covers it up."_

_"No, don't. I like it."_

_I looked at him. He was smirking again. "Of course you do. Jerk."_

_"Hey-" he began to protest before we were interrupted by a new arrival._

_"Good morning," Glenn greeted, walking up to the car, oblivious to the looks we were giving him. He snagged a piece of peach out of the bowl that Daryl still loosely held in his hands. My hands were in my hair, ready to start braiding, when I caught the look on Daryl's face. I could see he still wanted to smile, but was trying to hide it for my sake. My fingers quickly started to braid before Glenn could see; but I wasn't quite fast enough. _

_"Oh God! What happened? Was there an attack?" Geez, was the mark really that bad? I threw a glare at Daryl. This was all his fault. Smug bastard only winked back as Glenn forcefully turned me to get a better look. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Hershel should take a look-"_

_"Glenn-"_

_"Why didn't anyone say anything-"_

_"Glenn!-"_

_"There might be some antibiotics left-"_

_"Glenn." This time it was Daryl who interrupted the rambling Asian, and he didn't bother yelling. He just put our breakfast down, reached up to grab Glenn's hands, and slowly pulled them away from me. Glenn let him, confused as to what the heck was going on. "Get yer hands off my girl," he stated simply before retrieving the food from the ground._

_Until this point, Daryl and I hadn't really tried to hide how we felt from each other. But we had tried to hide it from the rest of the group. Daryl didn't like other people knowing his business, and I just didn't really care so I kept it quiet for Daryl's sake. But now, here he was, announcing it to the world- okay, to Glenn, but that boy couldn't keep a secret and we all knew it, so it was basically the world. _

_I'm not sure why- I mean, it's not like I didn't know Daryl felt that way- but hearing him say it made me feel all giddy. And when he glanced over at me, right after saying the words, I'm sure I was smiling like a loon. He only rolled his eyes in response and turned back to Glenn._

_Glenn, who was... well. Shocked. _

_"What? Your _girl_?" Come on, Glenn. Don't make this awkward. _

_"I thought Asians were s'posed t'be smart." Daryl: super tactful. Glenn still didn't seem to get it, though, so Daryl went for show instead of tell. Tucking the water bottle under his other arm, he reached up with one free hand, took my chin, and kissed me. Right on the lips. Right in front of Glenn._

_My smile seriously couldn't get any bigger right now. Before he pulled away, I placed a second, softer kiss on the corner of his mouth. I saw the corner of his lips curve up softly before we both looked at Glenn._

_He looked like he was going to be sick. _

_"What?" was all he said. _

_"Dumbest Asain I ever saw," Daryl muttered. He was done with the conversation, though, probably already feeling uncomfortable at the blatant PDA. Turning back to me, he held out the bowl of peaches, and we began to eat, now both trying to hide smiles._

_Glenn remained still, like he was trying to figure out what to say, when Maggie came around the corner. She looked at Glenn first. Then at me and Daryl, leaning, close together, against the car. Instead of saying anything to us about it, she just smirked, kissed Glenn's cheek, and said good morning. _

_"Did you know about this?" he asked, rounding on her as she went to get her own breakfast. _

_"About the lovebirds? Yeah. We all did."_

_What? Since when? I looked at Daryl, but he was too focused on getting fruit juice off his fingers. _

_"I didn't!"_

_Maggie rolled her eyes. "Please. It's not like they're subtle about it." I raised a brow when I heard that. Hadn't we at least _tried_? Guess not... "Didn't ya see 'em eye-rapin' each other when Rick was talkin' last night?" Okay, so maybe we weren't subtle, but I wouldn't go so far as to say we were _eye-raping _each other. Glenn began to sputter, so Maggie took pity on him. She grabbed their breakfast and began to lead him away. "I'll let you guys have some peace. You might wanna cover up that hickey, though," she said with a wink before both she and Glenn were gone. _

_Daryl snorted at her parting words, taking another sip of water. "Guess people know, huh?"_

_I sighed. "Guess so. Whatever. Next time, you get the hickey."_

_"You still poutin' over there?" he teased. I was. Stupid hickey. I licked my fingers and quickly went back to braiding my hair, which I had forgotten about when we were talking to Glenn. "Here," he said. I looked up, not yet ready to wrap the elastic around my hair as he held out the last piece of peach. _

_"Hands are a little busy here, Dar."_

_"I know. Here."_

_I realized he was offering to feed me. What? Where had the rugged, sometimes-rude, always-sexual, panther-like Daryl gone? Who was this softer, romantic person? _

_That wasn't fair, actually. It wasn't that he was never soft or caring. I was just never _expecting _it. Like the blanket last night. Or telling Glenn about us this morning. And now: feeding me the last piece of fruit. _

_Aw. My little wildcat was really just a kitten. _

_I smiled, opening my mouth so he could slip the food in, pushing until his thumb was against my lips. I gave it a little kiss before he could pull it away. We looked at each other, then, just... being together. He looked tired, but content. Peaceful, somehow. His brows weren't pulled down over his sharp blue eyes in worry; his mouth wasn't pulled into a frown. It was nice, being able to see him like that, after so many days of stressful travel. A breeze rushed past us, teasing at his shaggy hair, and I was reminded of how gentle he looked under all that dirt and distrust. _

_The smile on his face was soft as he leaned over, kissing my temple._

_"I gotta go check in with Rick. I'll see ya."_

_Nodding, mouth still full, I watched him walk away, still not able to wipe the smile off my face._

* * *

**A/N: Awww, cuteDaryl. That's adorable. Haha, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter...? I mean, I like it, the concept and stuff. And I think it turned out pretty well. But this one was harder to write than the other two. So yeah. Let me know what you think, and also if you have any suggestions- I mean. I write when I get an idea; but I also want to save some scenes for my other story (WHICH YOU SHOULD MAYBE CHECK OUT... it's called "Fix You," in case you wanna...), so that's the reason for the long updates: deciding what to save for later and what to write now. **

**Anywho. Reviews/questions/comments/concerns/follows/favs are all welcome. ;) Tell your friends and stuff. I'll post again soon. **


	4. Tell Me

_**ATTENTION: This chapter has spoilers for "This Sorrowful Life." I don't know why you wouldn't have seen it by now, but just in case.**_

**A/N: So I was going to do the next chapter of "Fix You" before I posted again in here- but I was thinking about last week's episode and... I had to. I couldn't handle ittttt. Poor Baby. :( That scene was phenomenal. The reveal, his reaction, everything. _So_ well done. But, of course, I couldn't just get over it. So I'm writing about it. You'll notice this installment is less smexy, more sentimental. SadDaryl needs a hug, and this is for him. **

**Also, just for clarity- This is set during the winter, when Merle is alive but Daryl hasn't seen him in ages and thinks he might be dead. I wanted to write one for postmortemMerle, but then I was like "wellllll the finale might make anything I write totally improbable." And that would bug me. A lot. So I settled on this. **

**Also also (haha, sorry), someone requested a Merle one shot. I don't think this counts. Still working on that. But I also got a request for the first time Daryl says "I love you," and I combined that in here. So there ya go ;) **

* * *

The first time Daryl told me about his past was also the first night I told him that I loved him. The two weren't related, really. Only by circumstance. I'd loved him long before that talk, there just... wasn't an opportune moment.

It had been months since we left Atlanta and the farm... months since Daryl had seen his brother. It was bothering him, much more than he intentionally let on. But that night, I knew. And all I wanted to do was help.

* * *

_I hadn't seen Daryl for hours. It was... well, it was weird. I was so used to at least _seeing _him, even if we didn't talk. He'd taken to checking on me when he thought I wasn't looking. Whenever we were hunting, or traveling, or even just sitting around talking- I'd glance up and see him watching me. It wasn't a lustful gaze. It was protective. He was making sure that I was okay, that I was safe. And even if I was perfectly safe before seeing him check on me, when I was just sitting and talking to Maggie or whatever I was doing- looking up and catching that caring gaze... that's what made me _feel _safe. _

_Once I realized how often he did it (which was pretty much always), I'd taken to doing the same in return. I'd look up, catch his eye (which was inevitably already on me) and take the opportunity to check on him, as well. It was Daryl, though, so I don't know why he ever _wouldn't _be fine. But seeing it was reassuring, and I think that's what we were both really looking to find when we sought each other out in the group. Reassurance. Such a small thing, but... I didn't have it right now. Daryl was missing in action. I had asked Rick, but they hadn't talked in a couple of hours. Glenn didn't know, either. Where had he gone...?_

_He definitely wasn't in any of the vehicles. We had finished clearing all of those out hours ago, getting all the necessary supplies in for the night. We were staying at an old mattress store, oddly enough- not usually a first choice, but somebody had already boarded up some of the windows. Also, it was right next to a couple of shopping centers, so hopefully it would be a good spot for a supply run. Glenn and Maggie would find out soon enough. _

_But where would Daryl go in a mattress store? Most of the group was already "settled in"- they had found a mattress (there were a lot of them intact, surprisingly) and were slowly falling asleep, or talking about... stuff and things. I dunno. I didn't care. Where was Daryl?_

_I walked outside, thinking maybe he was doing a perimeter check, but I still couldn't find him. It was dark and cold, making me hug my arms around myself and wish I had a thicker sweater. I was about to turn back to go inside when I saw a small cloud of smoke on the roof appear and then quickly fade. _

_The roof. Of _course _he was on the roof. _

_I looped to the back of the store, keeping an eye out for any trouble, and eventually found the way he had gotten up there- a dumpster with a makeshift ladder propped against it. The darkness made it a little difficult to see, but I managed, and soon I was standing behind him._

_The roof was pretty standard: flat with some of those random little box-like things. I think they were for air conditioning, but they were useless now. Daryl was leaning against one of those, closer to the edge of the building, facing away from all the vehicles below. One leg up, one leg straight, a cigarette dangling from his fingertips, gaze down. The smoke that came out of his mouth was mixed with steam as he took a slow drags._

_I knew he'd heard me. I wasn't trying to be quiet, but even if I was- Daryl was a hunter. I couldn't sneak up on him. He didn't acknowledge me, though, as I moved to sit across from him, my back against the high siding of the roof. Even when we were facing each other, he didn't move except to keep smoking._

_"Hey," I greeted. _

_"Hey." _

_"What's up?" _

_He shrugged, took another drag. _

_Something was weird. Off. Daryl often got lost in his thoughts, but this was different. Why did he look so... sad? _

_"Daryl?" _

_He finally glanced over at me, lips puckered around the white stick. I was struck by how tired he looked, the bags under his eyes more prominent than usual. His eyes, that cerulean color I loved, were still bright- but the brows above them seemed heavier. He finished his drag, the muscles in his face relaxing as he exhaled. "Hm?"_

_"Is something wrong?"_

_"Wrong? No."_

_I frowned. So something was definitely bothering him. He was sad and he was being difficult. Great. Sighing, I brought my knees up to my chest to wrap my arms around them. It was getting colder. _

_Daryl tilted his head back to lean against the support behind him, another smoky breath passing his lips. The arm with the cigarette was still against his knee, but the other one was by the ground, idly fingering the full-looking pack. I'd never smoked. Not once. I'd never wanted to before. I was always so concerned with health risks- cancer and disease and stuff. But now... Cancer didn't seem to be such a big deal when you literally faced death every day. So why not?_

_I held my hand out to Daryl, the sudden movement catching his attention. His head tilted toward me lazily in curiosity. _

_"What?" he asked, white tendrils escaping his mouth along with the word._

_"I want a cigarette."_

_He snorted, head leaning back once more. "No, ya don't."_

_"Yes, I do. Come on... Just one?" _

_"...Yer bein' serious?" His gaze was fully on me now, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. _

_"Yeah."_

_"Why?"_

_"Why not?"_

_"Ya've never smoked before, have ya?"_

_"No."_

_He regarded me for a moment. "Yer sure?" I nodded and he reached for the pack by his side, tapping one out. "Come 'ere." Scooting closer to him, I watched as he lit my cigarette with the end of his own. He handed it to me once the tip was burning. "Go for it, Hot Shot."_

_As I brought the filter to my lips, I briefly wondered if this was really a smart choice. I'm sure Daryl would smoke it if I decided not to... But looking up to his eyes, I saw a challenge there. He didn't think I'd do it. And to my competitive brain, that meant that now I _had _to. _

_So I took a teeny, tiny little drag, feeling the smoke in my mouth as it tickled the top of my trachea, before I blew it out again. I was waiting to cough and sputter like people always did on TV, but there was nothing. Feeling proud of myself, I looked up at Daryl, who was smirking and shaking his head at me. _

_"Ya know what yer doin' there, Groucho?"_

_I shoved at his arm. "I'm starting small! This is new, okay?"_

_"Small, right. Ya barely took any in. Doesn't count. Try again."_

_Feeling defiant, I raised the cigarette to my lips once more, fully intending on taking an even _smaller _drag, just to spite him; but Daryl had other plans. As soon as I began to breathe in, his free hand reached over to poke at my side, tickling me. Which surprised me. So I gasped. Except instead of gasping oxygen, I gasped smoke. _

_Yep. There was that sputtering cough I thought I'd avoided. _

_I could feel tears in my eyes by the time my chest finally calmed down. My breath was wheezy and I'm sure my face was red. So basically I was feeling like crap, the cigarette in my hand no longer burning. But then a hand reached up to slowly rub my back, and, looking up, I saw Daryl smiling at me. _

_"It's s'posed t'be more like that."_

_Rubbing my back was a sweet gesture, but I was still mad at him. "That was mean!"_

_He chuckled. "Didn't like it?"_

_"No thanks to you, Jerk. Here." I handed the cigarette to him, which he quickly lit to replace the one he'd just finished. _

_"Well ya shouldn't be smokin' anyways."_

_"Oh, and you should?"_

_His hand had moved to grip my waist, pulling me closer to his side. I couldn't tell if it was his way of an apology or if he was just trying to keep warm. Either way, I went willingly, settling into his side even more when his thumb began to stroke slowly up... down... up... down... at my side._

_"Prob'ly not," he admitted, the smoke disappearing in front of my eyes. We stayed that way for awhile: him smoking, holding me to him; me leaning into him, hands toying with the pack he'd left by his leg. It was quiet and cold, but the night was clear, and Daryl was warm, so I didn't mind so much. I was getting drowsy by the time he spoke again. "Merle gave me my first cigarette."_

_And just like that I remembered why I'd sought him out on the roof to begin with. Something was bothering him, something I wanted to help him with. I should've known it had something to do with Merle. He _never _wanted to talk about Merle. _

_And yet... here he was. Bringing him up. _

_"How old were you?" I asked after a long pause, wanting to make sure he didn't have anything else to say._

_"Dunno. Ten, maybe? Younger?" I tried to picture Daryl as a child, his brother tricking him into smoking like Daryl had just done to me. The image was odd. I'd never thought of Daryl as a child before. I bet he was adorable. "I hated it."_

_This caused me to laugh. "You mean you didn't pick up chain-smoking immediately?"_

_The hand at my side squeezed a little tighter. "No. Brat."_

_"Tell me about it," I requested softly, leaning my head against his shoulder. He was silent for a long time, and I thought he wasn't going to answer. But then his thumb began again, up... down... up... down..._

_"I'd spent all day at home avoidin' our Ol' Man. He was just back from a bender, and I just... I wanted to be somewhere else, ya know? Couldn't really go anywhere, though. I was just a kid. So I went lookin' for Merle. Found 'im by the lake, hangin' out with his friends or whatever they were. They were all a lot older than me. I was the annoyin' kid brother. I could tell he wanted t'tell me off, send me back home or somethin'. But the others told him to keep me around. They thought it'd be funny t'see me smoke. So Merle hands me his cigarette, says 'Here, Little Brother. Breathe deep. Ya won't feel a thing.' So I asked him why bother then? And he says, 'Well it tastes good.' And he was my brother. So I did it. Thought I was gonna die from coughin' so much. They all just laughed. Merle took it back from me and sent me on my way. Made sure I wouldn't tell Pop, and didn't look back."_

_Here he took a long pause, flicking his cigarette away. The image he'd conjured began to fade. "Did you go home after?"_

_"Nah. I just stayed out in the woods for awhile. Didn't smoke again 'til I was maybe eighteen. This is the same brand I smoked that night. Same kind as th'first time I bought 'em, too. They were Merle's favorite."_

_I looked back at the pack in my hands, eyes flicking over the striped logo, the horseshoe in the corner. He'd found the cigarettes. That's what had made him think of Merle._

_"Tell me more about him?"_

_"Like what?"_

_"I dunno. Anything."_

_"Ain't much t'tell. He was a tough son-of-a-bitch. Didn't always make fer good stories."_

_I shrugged, reaching across my stomach to hold his hand in mine. "He taught you how to hunt, didn't he? Tell me about that."_

_Daryl half-laughed, half-sighed. "He tried to teach me, but I was always better'n him, and he knew it. He'd take me out in th'woods for days when our Pop was gone, teach me how to trap and shoot... When I was ten, he helped me take down my first deer. Showed me how to skin it..." He laughed again, both the sound and the movement shifting through me since I was so close. "There was this one time..."_

_And just like that, he was off, the soft, Southern timbre of his voice coloring his memories for me. I first heard about the time Merle accidentally picked the wrong plant during a camping trip and the two of them had indigestion for days... and the time Merle convinced Daryl to steal candy from the gas station for him (which was a success, so Daryl got to keep half the stash for himself)... then there was the time they snuck liquor from their dad's pantry and had to stay out of the house for days to avoid a beating (not quite as successful as the candy)... _

_These were the pretty neutral stories. Daryl had said there weren't good ones, but there were. _

_There was the time Merle taught Daryl how to throw knives; and when Daryl got three bulls-eyes in a row after his first lesson, Merle took him to celebrate (they got milkshakes- Daryl was _way _too young to drink)... And there was also the time a school bully tried to pick on Daryl, so Merle taught him how to fight. Daryl won against the bully, but then his friends beat Daryl up, so Merle found the bully and threatened him- Daryl never knew why the bully left him alone until years later... Then there was the time Daryl was trying to set a trap too high up in a tree by their house. He fell and broke his ankle, and Merle found him, took him to the hospital, made sure he got got the dark green cast (apparently the nurse wanted to make it blue, which was not what Daryl had asked for)... _

_All the stories were told randomly, the adventures mixed in with the anecdotes. I added comments or asked questions at times, but mainly he just talked. His voice got raspier the longer he spoke, the longer he smoked. The pack was almost gone now. We must've been out there for hours, holding each other, keeping each other warm._

_He was finishing a story about Merle teaching him how to drive stick shift on their old Ford. Apparently Daryl picked it up pretty fast but kept grinding the gears just to piss Merle off; and Merle _did _get pissed- _really _pissed. He got out of the truck and went to the driver's side to try and throw Daryl out of the cab; but as soon as he was out of the way, Daryl just drove off. _

_"Fuck, he was so pissed at me," he said, laughs falling out of his mouth faster than the smoke from his last cigarette. "He was yellin' and cursin'... and I just drove off. Lucky I didn't get pulled over. I was barely tall enough to see over the dash." He sighed, his voice slowing down. "Was just a few days after that when he left."_

_"Where'd he go?"_

_"Dunno. Ended up in th'military, though. Didn't see 'im again for years."_

_"And you stayed at home?"_

_"Didn't have a choice. Too young t'live on my own."_

_"Did you guys ever talk about it?"_

_" 'Bout what?"_

_"I dunno. Everything. Your dad. Merle leaving."_

_"Nah," he said, smirking sadly. "Dixon men never talk 'bout their feelings."_

_"Well... did you ever forgive him?"_

_"Which one?" he sighed. "My Ol' Man for gettin' drunk and beatin' the shit out of us? No. Not when he was alive." I winced as he spoke, unable to stop myself. If he noticed, he ignored it. _

_"And Merle?" I asked, almost afraid of what he might say. _

_"Merle..." He sighed again. "I remember when I was a kid, after he was gone and I was alone with Pop... I was so mad at him. All th'time. I was furious that he just... left me there. But no matter how mad I got, how many fights I got in, how many beatin's I took... I missed 'im. And that just made me more mad, ya know? I didn't wanna miss 'im. But I always did."_

_He looked so young in that moment. So sad. I just wanted to hold him._

_So I did._

_Slowly, I moved to wrap my arms around him, waiting for him to adjust so he was leaning into me, the crown of his head tucked against my neck, auburn hair tickling my chin. I honestly didn't think he'd _let _me hold him like this- I was basically coddling him- but he was so exhausted that he just went along with it._

_"And you miss him now." _

_"Yeah. But I don't want to."_

_"Why not?"_

_"... He left me again. Just like last time."_

_I held him tighter, one hand absentmindedly stroking his back. "He's your brother, Daryl, and you'll always miss him, no matter what he does. But it's not just like last time. You're not with your father, and you're not alone."_

_He began to pull away, "I know..."_

_"No, listen. Daryl, people care for you here. You're not just _needed_- you're _wanted_. And you have to know that. You have to know that we love you, that... that _I _love you."_

_He didn't move or say anything for a long time, and I worried that I'd gone too far, that I'd overwhelmed him. And maybe I had. I hadn't meant on telling him until he told me- I was old-fashioned like that. But I knew I felt it, and now seemed like a better moment than most. And I was pretty sure he felt the same way, even if I wasn't expecting him to say it back. Still, though. He _was _most likely overwhelmed. And it was my fault. I mean, he'd just finished telling me about his childhood- which wasn't exactly overflowing with warm fuzzies- and here I was, basically telling him that I was overflowing with warm fuzzies _because _of him. _

_Yeah. My timing could be better._

_I didn't regret it, though. _

_And I didn't want to give up just yet. So I just held him to me, fingers moving up to idly run through his hair, feeling his warm breaths against my skin, until he spoke._

_"Why?"_

_I guess the question didn't really surprise me. _

_I sighed, turning my head to kiss his hair. A small part of me was relieved that he hadn't rejected me. A larger part of me just wanted to cry and hug him for days. _

_"You're one of the best men I've ever met, no matter how much you'll try to deny it. You're strong. You're smart. You're funny... well, sometimes. You're rude, but honest, which is kinda hot." He chuckled at that, pulling away enough so that he could look me in the eyes, his face staying close to mine. I could see the uncertainty in his cerulean gaze, and I honestly had no idea if anything I was telling him would stick. But I had to try. "You're also brave. And selfless. And you always try to protect everyone."_

_He sighed and looked away, trying to deflect. "Nothin' ya couldn't say about Rick or Glenn..."_

_"No. I couldn't say that about them. They're different." He looked back at me. "Rick, Glenn, all the others... They aren't that for _me. _They aren't strong for _me_. They aren't funny or smart for _me_. They aren't selfless and brave for _me_. They don't protect _me_, or take care of _me_. Not the way that you do. Never that way. And they never can." He just continued to gaze at me. I reached a hand up to cup the side of his neck, my thumb stretching to stroke the shell of his ear. Taking a deep breath, I made the final leap. "All that other stuff- Daryl, it matters, yes. But I love you because of all that and because... nobody else makes _me _feel _loved _like you do." _

_He held my gaze for the whole of my confession, but when I finished, he looked down, tilting his head to rest his forehead against mine. I tried not to cry- not because I regretted telling him. I would never regret that. I just felt so... happy that I could tell him. That he listened. He knew now, and that was all I wanted after all those stories he'd told me._

_It was all I wanted, but I got more._

_He reached his hand up to cover mine at his neck, fingers lacing through my own._

_"Ya feel that way... 'cause ya are."_

_Feel that way...? _

_Feel _loved_... _

_Because I am. I _am _loved. By Daryl. _Daryl loves me.

_And I love Daryl._

_Turning my head up slightly, I didn't try to hide the smile on my face. I kissed his forehead. Then his nose. Then his eyes. Anywhere, I could reach, really. He started to laugh and pulled away. _

_"Yer nose is cold," he said softly, reaching both of his hands up to cup my face. _

_"Sorry it's fucking _freezing _out. I didn't plan to spend my night on the roof."_

_He smiled and began to lean in. " 'Night ain't over yet."_

* * *

As I recall, I got a cold soon after that. It really had been freezing. I didn't mind so much, though. I mean, I had Daryl to make me feel better. And it was always nice to have someone who loved you there to take care of you.

Also, he refused to kiss me until I got better, so that was pretty good motivation, as well.

Sly bastard.

* * *

**A/N: BOOM. That was pretty long. But this was probably one of my favorite ones to write. I'm in a pretty emotional place right now, though, with last week's episode and the finale coming up and Daryl just being Daryl. So yeah. That happened. **

**Review please, and let me know what you think! I'm still working on that list of requests. Expect more soon. But probably another chapter of "Fix You" before another one-shot. Gotta try to keep some balance. :)**


	5. Hey, Jealousy

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO UPDATE. First it was the end of Holy Week, and then I had this huge paper due- but now: updates. First this one because ugh Norman Reedus. I just need some love after this week. Then "Fix You." So stay tuned! :)**

**Also, thanks for all the support! I've loved all the reviews and favs I've gotten on this story. Super encouraging. **

**PS: Just in case anyone is confused, I made up the guy in the second memory (at Hershel's farm). I didn't wanna slander Jimmy since he died saving people; and I definitely didn't wanna use anyone else. So yeah. He's just a plot prop.**

* * *

There were two times when Daryl's jealousy was cute; and there was one time when it saved my life.

* * *

_We'd been at this campsite for a few days now, figuring out a plan for the coming months. It was pretty boring. At least I had my man to keep me occupied... well, I usually did. Where was he? Nobody was around, and I consider that to be an opportune moment..._

_Ah. There he is. Sitting alone by the bonfire. Why am I not surprised. _

_I approached him, taking my time and taking him in. _

_It had been warm out all day, and night had only just fallen, so I could still see a sheen of sweat on his skin, making the dirt that pretty much always covered him glisten in the firelight. His body was hunched a little, arms around bent knees as he started into the flames. He never looked up as I got closer, but I knew that he knew I was there, just like he always did. Daryl was definitely the... Protector type. He was also the distractingly attractive type, and the light from the bonfire wasn't helping. I thought his muscles were impressive in the sunlight... damn. Those shadows only made it better. _

_But where they revealed his sex appeal, they also covered it- I could hardly see his face. And what I did see looked lost in thought. _

_Sitting next to him, I made myself comfortable. I didn't really expect him to say anything until he was done pondering whatever he was pondering; and he didn't. We just sat in silence, until..._

_"What were you and Shane talkin' 'bout earlier?"_

_One of the things I loved about Daryl (and I loved a __lot__ of things about him) was how straightforward he was. It was like he didn't know HOW to beat around the bush. Everything was upfront and direct, and it made me worry a whole heck of a lot less about what he was thinking. _

_And I really appreciated it now, because honestly, I never would have guessed that Daryl would be upset about me talking to Shane. But apparently he was... and maybe he was also a little jealous? _

_I couldn't tell if he was or not. Even if he was unflinchingly honest, I don't think he would even recognize it as jealousy... He'd probably think it was just him being protective, which I guess was partly true anyways. And really- there was less than nothing to be jealous about. Shane had been asking me what I thought of Rick as a leader (whom I defended, because Rick is a boss), and I walked away feeling pissed (and he probably did, too). But maybe Daryl hadn't seen that part. _

_Explaining the situation to him when he was already tense probably wasn't a good idea, though. He'd just get more upset. No, it would be easier to diffuse the tension a little first. _

_"He was asking me about having a threesome," I teased. Through the shadows on his face, I saw him roll his eyes. If I was joking about it, he had nothing to worry about, and he knew it. His face began to relax, mind now at ease since I wasn't in any sort of danger. _

_"Hope ya said no. I don't share."_

_He looked at me when he said it, a smirk tugging at his lips. _

_Damnit. Why did he have to be so attractive? _

_"You? I said no because __I__ don't share."_

_He chuckled at that, his teeth reflecting the firelight, and bumped my knee with his. I liked this side of Daryl. He was, of course, the guardian, the protector. He made sure the group was safe, looked out for everyone. But even he didn't have all the answers. And him talking to me, letting me reassure him, made me feel like I could reciprocate at least a little. Like I could help him, too._

_I bumped my leg back against his. "Didn't know you got jealous, Dixon."_

_He snorted. "I ain't jealous."_

_"Really? Because I think you are."_

_"No."_

_"Yes."_

_"No."_

_"Yes."_

_"__No__."_

_"Yes!"_

_He leaned over suddenly and grabbed me, hauling me into his lap. We were both moving shadows now, our faces right next to each other, his warm hands gripping my sides. I could only look into his eyes as he gazed back at me, the usual cerulean blue much darker in the flickering light._

_"I __ain't__ jealous... because I don't __need__ to be."_

_I grinned, heart already starting to pump faster. Yeah... I definitely liked this side of Daryl. _

_"Oh yeah? Why not?"_

_His smirk was impossibly smug as his hands slid into my back pockets, the heat of his body rivaling that of the fire behind me. Slowly, he moved his head forward and began to brush his lips along my jaw. "Nobody else can __handle__ ya like I can."_

_"Really now?" I gasped out, feeling his tongue just below my ear, the scratch of his facial hair against my skin._

_"Mm. And you know it, too. I got you wrapped... 'round... my little... finger." He punctuated each of his last words with a kiss, first at my shoulder... then at my collarbone... then on my neck... and finally, he took my earlobe between his lips and began to gently pull on it._

_"Is that what the kids are calling it these days...?" My voice was even less than a gasp by now. I __wish__ I could gasp. Damn, the things this man did to me..._

_He laughed, and I could feel his breath unsettle the hair tucked behind my ear. "Minx."_

_Now it was my turn to laugh, one hand coming up to brush through his hair. I hated to distract him from his... __ministrations__... but I wanted him to know that I meant what I said. So I tugged on his hair until he was looking up at me, a small smirk still playing at his lips, the fire in his eyes not just from the light behind us. "Maybe. But I'm your minx. And don't you forget it."_

_The smirk turned into a smile. Then his head returned, and his lips moved down, closer to the collar of my shirt, as Daryl proceeded to show me just how well he could handle me. _

* * *

_It was freakishly hot out, even for Georgia. I don't think I've sweat this much since- well, probably since yesterday. It's summer. But still. Holy crap. Hot. _

_It had been like this for days, too. And it's not like we were supposed to be doing anything. No, we were gonna be camped here for awhile, at least until Carl was fully ready to go. And now with more tension between Shane and Rick... and this hot-as-Hades level of heat... there was bound to be a fight. _

_At least, that's how it always seemed to happen in movies. _

_Today, finally fed up with sitting in the shade trying to avoid the heat, I decided to embrace it. So I found a pair of shorts- since NOBODY ever seems to wear them, it was actually kinda difficult- and a towel, and here I am, lying out on my stomach behind the house. Arms out, tank top rolled up, shoes off... it felt nice to tan. I was never a huge fan of it before, actually. I wasn't a huge fan of beaches (sand just gets evvvvverywhere), and I had lived in an apartment, so no backyard. But this... this was nice. _

_Beth had been with me earlier, but she didn't want to burn, so she'd left. And thankfully, she'd left her sunscreen, because pretty soon I would start burning, too. Speaking of, I should probably turn over..._

_As soon as I did, though, there was a shadow above me. Shading my eyes, I squinted up; but the sun was just behind them and I couldn't see a face. I could see the body, though. _

_Daryl._

_"Hey, babe."_

_He grunted and sat down next to me, arms on his knees as always, looking around. I don't know how he was surviving with pants and boots on. At least he was in a sleeveless shirt, but I guess that was his usual. _

_"How long ya been out here?"_

_"Mm... Dunno. Maybe an hour? A little longer?" _

_He nodded and kept looking around. I began to notice how much sweat was gathering around his hairline. He was probably boiling in this heat, just sitting here. "You seen anybody?"_

_"No. Beth was out here with me earlier, but she left. It's been just me for awhile," I saw up as I spoke, getting close enough to him so that I could reach for his feet._

_"What're ya doin'?" he asked, pulling away._

_"Stop. It'll feel better, I promise. Just let me."_

_Grimacing, he reluctantly let me unlace his boots. After pulling them and his socks off, I rolled up the cuffs of his pants as well. He wiggled his toes experimentally in the grass, a relaxed sigh escaping. _

_"See? Even your pale feet need to see the sun sometimes." And they were __really__ pale. "It'll keep you cooler, at least."_

_He rolled his eyes. "Whatever ya say, Doogie Howser."_

_"So why the questions?"_

_He glanced over at me. "Ya know Connor?"_

_"Jimmy's brother?"_

_"He's been watchin' you."_

_Ewwww. That guy was creepy enough already with his super long hair and his total lack of a chin. But watching me tan? Gross. I reached up to roll down my tank top and scooted closer to Daryl. _

_"How did you know?"_

_"I was tryin' t'hunt. Saw 'im in th'trees, watchin' ya. No Beth, though. Rick said he'd gone to chop wood or somethin'. Far as I could tell, there was wood involved, but I don't think he was choppin' it."_

_"__EW__! Daryl, that is so nasty!" I said, smacking his arm. _

_"Calm down, Tyson," he laughed, leaning away from my attack. "Ya really think I'd just let him carry on like that? Nah, I got him back."_

_"Daryl... what did you do?"_

_"Defended yer honor."_

_I couldn't help the little flutter in my chest as he said it. But he was still Daryl, and he was still lethal- that kid might be scarred for life after whatever happened in those woods. "How?"_

_"I might'a scared 'im a little... told 'im that if I caught 'im even lookin' at ya again, I'd chop off his balls and feed 'em to 'im."_

_I tried not to laugh imagining the look on the kid's face. "I'm guessing you said this with a knife, too?"_

_"Maybe," he smirked. _

_I reached over to ruffle his hair, glad that he was here with me (and that he hadn't killed Connor on the spot). He turned his head to look at me. _

_"Ya ain't mad at me, are ya?"_

_"About Connor? Hardly. Actually, I think it's kinda hot." I moved even closer, pushing his legs down so that I could straddle him. His hands went to their usual place around my hips, holding me close to him. _

_"Some kid pervin' on you is hot?"_

_"No, jerk. You defending my honor."_

_He smirked again, leaning forward to capture my lips. "Just protectin' what's mine."_

_"Mm, see? Territorial. Definitely hot," I murmured against his lips, kissing him again. _

_He slowly began to lean back until he was lying down completely in the grass, me still straddling him, his hands moving down to grip my bare thighs. My own hands went to his shirt, unbuttoning it so I could explore his skin first with my fingers... then with my lips... _

_His flesh was salty and hot and firm as I slowly worked my way down his chest. I was almost past his ribcage when he flipped us over. We had rolled back onto the towel I was using earlier, the cotton warm and soft against my back. The sides of Daryl's open shirt hung down on either side of us, and I took a moment to appreciate my view. _

_Daryl's hair was getting longer, sticking easily to the sweat on his forehead. Being out in the sun so much had kept it a light auburn, matching the facial hair scattered across his jaw and cheekbones. The dirt that seemed to perpetually cover his skin mixed in with the scruff, adding to the rugged appeal. His chest and neck were just as dirty, the grime only semi-obscuring the faint scars there. The muscles of his torso flexed as he held himself against me, and my eyes were drawn to the script an his chest, reaching out to trace a finger over it. _

_Looking back up at his face, I could see there were still bags under his eyes, as always- I seriously didn't know when he slept- but they weren't so bad today. All of this was overshadowed, however, by his eyes. They were so... bright. So intense. So __blue__. _

_And they were so close as he was looking down at me, the sparkle in those cerulean eyes matching the happy quirk of his lips. "What're ya lookin' at?"_

_"You."_

_"Like what ya see?"_

_"Oh yeah. And if anybody else so much as looks at you, I'm gonna beat 'em up," I teased, running my fingers up to play with his hair. _

_He snorted. "Right. So you mean I'll beat 'em up for ya?"_

_"Something like that. I was never much of a fighter type..."_

_"And I am?"_

_"Duh. I'm more of a... lover. Who loves fighters." _

_He looked at me, eyes flashing as he reached a hand up to cup my face. I tried not to be too distracted by his other arm, muscles bulging as he supported himself above me._

_"Prove it," he said, looking into my eyes._

_So... I did. _

* * *

_"Who is that?"_

_"Dunno. Rick found him a few streets over. Apparently he's just looking for some help getting supplies. He doesn't want a group."_

_I looked away from Glenn, my eyes focusing on the man next to our leader. He was young, maybe in his late twenties. Dark hair, dark eyes. Not very tall, but he looked strong and capable. He also looked worn out. I guess surviving on your own kinda made you look that way._

_He and Rick began to move closer to us, weapons down. I could see Daryl twenty feet behind them, hand ready to grab his crossbow if necessary. The stranger looked pretty relaxed, if still wary; but I could tell Rick was pretty tense. _

_"Guys, this is Sean. He's gonna go on the run with us, get some supplies, and go." There were some nods among the group members. "Alright, the rest of you, usual teams- Glenn and Maggie; T-Dog and Carol; me and Lori. Stay close, stay safe. Meet back here in a couple of hours."_

_I watched everyone else as they went their separate ways, waiting for Daryl to finish talking to Rick. We'd driven past this town earlier, on our way to find a place for the night. It was pretty big compared to the last few towns we'd passed- at least three grocery stores, a supercenter, and a handful of gas stations. Who knew if anything was left by now- but it was worth a shot. And apparently Sean had thought so, too. _

_After a minute of whispering and angry facial expressions, Daryl left Rick and came toward me... with Sean. Sean who just seemed to notice me, and judging by the way his eyes went up and down, it looked like he liked what he was seeing. Ew. _

_Thoroughly creeped out by these attentions, my eyes went back to Daryl, who looked beyond pissed. He was practically stomping toward me, shoulders tense, eyes glaring straight ahead. I noticed that Sean stayed a good distance away._

_"Ready?" Daryl huffed, now standing in front of me._

_I nodded, fingers reaching into my back pockets to grab my chakram. "Ready."_

_"We're takin' the stranger."_

_"I saw... You don't like him?"_

_"No."_

_I reached over to touch his arm. Looking down at me, I was glad to see his gaze soften. "It's just for a couple of hours."_

_"Just... stay close."_

_"How close?" I teased, hand brushing down his arm to snag his fingers. "I could ride you if you want."_

_He rolled his eyes, but still squeezed my fingers with his own. "I mean it."_

_"I know. I'll be safe. I promise."_

_"Good."_

_Releasing my hand, he gripped his crossbow and walked off. It was business time now: hunting took precedence over flirting. _

_Daryl and I used to go scavenging pretty often. We were a good team- looked out for each other, teased each other... well, I teased him. He never responded. But the more we... what? Dated? It feels weird saying that, considering the circumstances... Anyways, the more we "dated," the less I'd gone out on runs. I knew it was his doing, trying to keep me safe, and that's the only reason I never bothered him about it. _

_Well, I guess there was another reason. He replaced me with Glenn (when he wasn't out with Maggie, at least), who was stronger than me, and was good in a pinch. I trusted him to keep my baby safe. I also pulled him aside and threatened him to make __sure__ Daryl stayed safe, "or else...", but that's beside the point. That point being: even if we hadn't been out for awhile, we were still a great team._

_And Sean might mess that up. _

_Trying not to think about that, I followed after Daryl (who, of course, always took lead). Keeping an eye on him, I waited for Sean to catch up. _

_"Hey. I'm Sean." No shit._

_"Hi."_

_"You're not gonna tell me your name?"_

_"Nope."_

_"Oh." Yeah, that's right. Shut it._

_I don't know why I disliked him so much already. It might have something to do with Daryl disliking him. Or maybe just because he was a stranger. Or maybe he was just throwing off our groove. I dunno. He was dumb and I didn't want him around, that was for sure. _

_But I couldn't think about that now. I had to focus. _

_Daryl was about ten feet in front, definitely within hearing range. When I shut Sean down, I saw him glance back at me and smirk. I knew if he could, he'd say something along the lines of "Good girl," but now wasn't the time. _

_We had approached the supercenter, and Daryl was covering one side of the door. He motioned for me to take his place as he quickly moved to the other side. Sean crouched down behind me, and I saw the tightening in Daryl's jaw. _

_"Three... two..." he whispered, and on "one," I moved with him to pass through the broken automatic doors. _

_It was dark inside, aisles turned over and useless products scattered everywhere. No Walkers were in sight, but I kept my weapons gripped in my hands just in case. I was looking around, trying to figure out where the most loot would be, when I felt a hand on my elbow. _

_"You check groceries- I doubt there's much left, but it's worth a shot. I'm gonna take Stranger Danger and check th'pharmacy," Daryl said softly. _

_"Okay."_

_"Come find me if ya see anythin', alright?"_

_"Yes, sir," I said with a mock salute. He only rolled his eyes and released me. _

_"Back here in twenty."_

_I nodded and we both set off, me toward what was hopefully still-edible food, and him toward drugs. With Sean. He was probably still super pissed about that. But he'd rather be super pissed than worry about sending Sean off with me, so here we were._

_I had to kill one Walker who was wandering around the overturned shelves, but it was worth it. There actually was some food in the abandoned grocery aisles. I managed to grab some candy and some gatorade, a box those little soup crackers and two bags of pork rinds (not my thing, but someone might want them). Also: oatmeal, which just so happens to be the perfect meal for survivors on the go. But... no... no way... is that... a box of pop tarts? Oh sweet heavens, yes. Whoever managed to hide this gem: I love you. _

_Oh, and it was blueberry! Forget about Sean, this day is __great__. _

_I gave another glance around, making sure I hadn't missed anything; but after that, I quickly made my way back to the front... only to find Daryl and Sean... fighting?_

_It was hard to tell from here. Sean definitely looked more tense than he had been before. And Daryl... Daryl seemed to have surpassed super pissed. He was furious. I could always tell because he stopped looking pissed: he just looked... gone. And he looked that way now._

_I tucked the pop tarts back into my bag. Maybe I should save that surprise until later..._

_As soon as Daryl saw me approaching, he looked me over to make sure I wasn't injured. It was much different than the look Sean was giving me (again) and (also again) it made me move closer to Daryl._

_"Any trouble?" he asked, glaring at Sean._

_"Just one Walker. I got some food, though." He nodded. "Any luck with the drugs?"_

_"Just tylenol and aloe. Got three Walkers. We're gonna try the other store down the street."_

_"Okay. How's, uh..." I asked, looking over at Sean._

_Daryl's jaw clenched. "I don't wanna talk about it. And I don't want ya t'talk to him, either."_

_"What did he say to you?"_

_"Guy just isn't right in the head. There's somethin' he ain't tellin' us."_

_I nodded. If Daryl felt that way, I trusted his instincts. "Okay. Let's go check that other store."_

_"Wait," he said, holding me back. I looked down to his hand, which he held between us. In it was a very small paring knife, the one he usually kept in his pocket for emergencies, if he somehow dropped or lost his other weapons. He didn't say anything else, just held it out to me. I took it and slipped it into my pocket; he only nodded, the gift itself enough of a warning to be careful. _

_Without wasting anymore time, Daryl moved and I followed. And once more, Sean tried to talk to me._

_"Your boyfriend has a temper." _

_I didn't respond. _

_"He threatened me."_

_Silence._

_"He doesn't look so tough, though."_

_Were we looking at the same person...?_

_"Think I could take him?"_

_Oh geez. Was this guy insane? I couldn't tell if he was joking or not._

_We were about to turn the corner to get to the mini-mart. Daryl signaled for us to get closer. There was a small group of Walkers rounding the corner that we could easily take out if we worked together. Daryl's crossbow was ready, my chakram were in my hands, and Sean... had whatever he had. I couldn't remember what he had been carrying when Rick was talking to him._

_The Walkers began to move faster when they smelled us, but out of the seven of them, one of them soon had a bolt in its eye, another had a knife through its face, and two more had steel rings halfway through their skulls. That left the three... and Sean had yet to do anything. Those had all been mine and Daryl's weapons. _

_I turned to see where he'd gone as Daryl went to retrieve his knife. And... he was just standing there. What the __heck__ was this guy's deal? He had a gun out (which was a dumb choice in weapon anyways), so why wasn't he helping? I looked past his outstretched arm, wondering what the problem was, and I froze._

_He wasn't aiming at the Walkers._

_He was aiming at Daryl. _

_I ran and shoved him to the ground before I could start to think of all the horrible, horrible outcomes. Aiming at Daryl- why would he- but I thought he just wanted supplied- and if I hadn't- No. NO. __He couldn't hurt Daryl__. _

_The gun had been knocked to the ground nearby. I couldn't let him reach it. I tried kicking it away, but he pulled me back. We kept fighting. I wanted to look up and find Daryl, but he had been going after those last Walkers- who knew if he was done yet. I gave up on the gun and just tried to tackle Sean again, attempting to hold him down. He was a lot stronger than me, though, and easily flipped us over so that I was the one being held down. _

_"Why'd you do that?!" he yelled, gun now aimed at me. "__Why__?!"_

_His face was blurry through my own tears. At some point my head had hit the pavement pretty hard. I didn't even try to answer him._

_"With him gone we could have been __happy__. Don't you remember? When we were happy? __We could have had that again__!"_

_What the HELL was he talking about? I tried to shove him away from me, but he just brought the gun closer, his own face contorting in rage. _

_And then... then I heard one of the most beautiful sounds of all time: Daryl's voice._

_"Hey! You get the __hell__ offa her," he somehow managed to growl and shout at the same time. I turned my head to see him, crossbow aimed and ready, slowly walking toward us. The Walkers behind him were all dead. _

_"No!" Sean shouted. "She was mine! My wife! And they __took__ her! I'm not giving her up again!"_

_"She ain't yours, jackass! Get off her!"_

_Sean moved and pulled me in front of him, one arm going around my neck in a headlock, the other pressing the gun to my temple. _

_"She __is__ mine! And you're gonna let us go, or we'll all die here!"_

_"No, you're gonna let her go, or I'm gonna rip off yer head and shit down yer neck, ya got that?"_

_Daryl had been looking at Sean the whole time, calculating his movements; but now he looked right at me, before quickly glancing down to my pocket and then back to my face. I tried to think... why... what was in my pocket? _

_The knife he had given me. I had put it there. Sean wouldn't be able to see me pulling it out. If I kept one hand still pulling against the arm at my neck, he shouldn't notice at all... I just had to be careful..._

_"No!" Sean was shouting again. "You don't know what it's like! Alone... I only had her... and then they took her! Those bastards! They took her and left me for dead!" I had my fingers in my pocket. I could feel the warmed metal against my skin. "When... when I found her she was... But we can be happy again! We can keep going! You and me," he whispered the last part, pulling righter around my throat. Daryl stepped closer. The knife was out of my pocket._

_"Let 'er go."_

_"Nobody's __listening__ to me!"_

_I flipped the blade open. Daryl was looking at me again, and gave the tiniest of nods, eyes flicking to just behind my left shoulder. Okay. Knife to his left shoulder. Got it. Then what? What was the protocol for this? I looked back at Daryl, his intense cerulean gaze protective and comforting. Okay. I could do this. We were gonna be fine. _

_Before I could second-guess myself again, I twisted the knife in my grip- and with one hand reaching up to push the gun away from my head, I swung back with the other to stab him wherever I could reach. Surprised at my sudden movement, the gun moved easily enough. But his own movement messed up my aim with the knife, and I only scratched him in my attempt to get away. His arms were around me, pulling me back for one terrifying second- before his whole body went slack. _

_I looked over and saw an arrow sticking out of his forehead._

_Daryl. Daryl had saved me. Again. Thank God._

_I fell to the pavement, shoving the gun away from his outstretched hand even though he couldn't use it. I barely registered the footsteps coming toward me, the hands on my shoulders and neck and face- until they turned my gaze to his. _

_"Ya'alright? Did he hurt you?"_

_"I, uh... I'm fine. I think. Just... scared." And I was. Really scared. Walkers I could handle (kind of). But people? With guns to my head? And guns pointed at Daryl? That I couldn't... It was just... "He was gonna shoot you. He had hist gun, and I thought he was aiming at the Walkers, but he wasn't."_

_Daryl nodded and helped me stand up. I could feel my limbs shaking a little from leftover adrenaline. "So ya shoved him?"_

_"Mhm. And then... he was yelling. And then you were there. You saved me. Again." _

_He literally walked around me in a circle to make sure I wasn't hiding any injuries from him._

_"You saved me, too, this time," he muttered, coming to a stop in front of me. _

_I smiled a little. "I guess I did." Then my eyes widened. "What about you? Those Walkers-"_

_"I'm fine. Here," he said, holding out my chakram. I took them, sliding them into my back pocket... pocket... the knife? Where had the knife gone? I looked around, saw it on the floor, next to Sean's body. Moving past Daryl, I picked it up. _

_"This is yours."_

_"Keep it."_

_I looked at it, some blood still clinging to the edge of the blade. Wiping it off on my pants, I folded it and put it back in my pocket. _

_"Thanks."_

_Daryl just looked at me, hands reaching up to cover my shoulders. "Ya sure you're alright?"_

_I sighed and nodded. All I really wanted right now was to not think about what had just happened. The best way I knew how to stop thinking was Daryl. So I moved forward and wrapped my arms around him. His own arms went around me, holding me to him as he pressed a kiss to my head. _

_We stayed like that for awhile, just holding each other. But we were still in a street, with maybe more Walkers on the way, and I'm sure the time for meeting back up with the group was almost here. We couldn't stay there forever. So I pulled away enough to look up at him, leaning into his touch when his hand moved to cup my face. _

_"Thank you," I said before kissing him softly. I wasn't trying to start anything. I just wanted to feel him. _

_But Daryl had other plans. His other hand came up to join the first on my face, fingers softly gripping my skin as he pulled me back. _

_The kiss I had given him was soft. The kiss he was giving me was not. It was hard and passionate, his tongue easily finding its way past my lips. I could feel all the fear he had just felt, all the desperation. And I could taste all the possessiveness he was feeling now, which quickly softened into love, and then turned into a different kind of desperation as he pulled away. _

_"If he had..." he gasped out, our breaths mingling together. _

_"I know. But he didn't." Daryl closed his eyes and pressed our foreheads together. "You were there, Daryl. You saved me. I'm fine." I reached my own hands up to cover his own on my face. "__We're__ fine."_

_His eyes opened again, that piercing blue so close..._

_I kissed him again, letting my hands grip his shirt and pull him closer. He responded, gentler this time, hands moving down to rest on my hips. After a few minutes, we both pulled away. _

_"We gotta go meet Rick soon."_

_I nodded. "Don't forget your bolt."_

_He glanced down at Sean's body, pecking one last kiss to my forehead before moving away. As he cleaned the weapon and returned it to his crossbow, I made sure we had everything. Checking that the safety was on, I threw Sean's gun into my backpack... and saw my little gem from earlier._

_Pop-tarts. _

_After a long day of having my life threatened, having Daryl save me, and then having a (great) make-out session (with Daryl, of course)... Pop-tarts seemed like a pretty good treat.. _

_So I pulled a silver package out of the box and closed my backpack, turning to face Daryl. Wordlessly, I held one out to him, waiting as he shouldered his crossbow. Then, he took the pop-tart in one hand, and held the other hand out to me. I smiled up at him and slid my palm against his, our fingers interlacing as we began to make our way back to the group. _

_Of course, Rick and the others freaked out when we told them about what happened. But I was pretty calm about it. I had Daryl. And I had pop-tarts. What more could a girl want?_

* * *

**A/N: So yeah. There's that. I just wanted to write about possessive Daryl for a bit. Love me some dominant males. Let me know what you think! I'll hopefully be working on the next "Fix You" chapter soon. Until then... Thanks for being patient :) I love all of you. You guys are da bomb. **

**Hopefully I won't have to take another break like I did this week, but finals week is just around the corner, so we'll see. I'll keep you guys informed. Until then... Adios! :)**


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